Barnes, Bill (William), 1920 - 2019
Biography
William 'Bill' Barnes was a renowned film history and collector, who together with his twin brother John (1920-2008), amassed one of the finest collections of early British cinema in the country.
Bill and John became fascinated with cinema from an early age. When they were twelve years old they had a home cine projector and soon after, still in their teen years, they started to make their own films and documentaries. Examples of the titles they created together are Cornish Nets and With the Gypsies in Kent.
Bill and John started to collect cinema material in the 1930s. The brothers served together in the Royal Navy during WWII. At the end of the war, they became specialist booksellers of cinema and pre-cinema material.
The brothers opened the Barnes Museum of Cinematography in St Ives in 1936. John managed the collection while Bill continued to build up the collection visiting fairs, markets and auctions around the country. At this time Bill was working as a Film Production Consultant in London, where he used to visit markets and antique shops. The museum closed in 1986 and the collection was split between the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin and Hove Museum. Eventually, Bill started to run his own stall in Chelsea antiques market selling optical toys, lantern slides and photo cine items. John, who remained in Cornwall all his life, died in 2008. The brothers had always been very close and Bill felt a great loss.
Bill became a leading authority on many aspects of the optical media that preceded cinema and in particular of the early years of cinema itself.
John and Bill wrote extensively on early cinema history, John was known for The Beginnings of Cinema in Britain series and Bill for his articles on The Magic Lantern journal among others.
Bill and John received an honorary doctorate from the University of Stirling in 2006 and the Jean Mitry Prize.
Found in 177 Collections and/or Records:
Messrs. Poole and Young New Dioramic Programme, 4 August 1879
Messrs. Poole Bros. New Dioramic, Excursions Programme, 28 March 1881
Messrs. Poole Bros. New Dioramic, Excursions Programme, 9 May 1881
Messrs. Poole, The World Programme, 25 September 1882
Messrs. Poole's Gigantic Pictorial Enterprise Programme, 14 August 1882
Messrs. Poole's New Dioramic Excursions Programme, 17 October 1881
Mitchell & Kenyon Postcard Booklet, 2007
Booklet containing black and white still images from Mitchell and Kenyon films, produced by the British Film Institute, 18p.p.
Monographs, Articles, Manuscripts and Research Material, c1900 - 2018
Monographs, articles and research material on early travelling moving picture shows, related to the Poole family , Wilton's Music Hall, Walter Sickert, Bedford Music Hall, Randall Williams and early cinema in Scotland
Mr Harry Poole's New Trips Abroad Programme, c1880 - 1889
Red type and illustrations of Egypt and battles, portraits of Wolseley, Gordon and Burnaby on green background on the front cover. Blank programme of overprinting location and programme, 2p.p
Mr Joseph Poole's Grand New Myriorama Poster, c1880 - 1899
Mr Joseph Poole's New Myriorama Pictoresque Trips Abroad to all Parts of the Globe Poster, Friday 4 to Saturday 12 April c1890
Mr Joseph Poole's Trips Abroad Poster, c1880 - 1899
Murder Is it? Poster, c1890 - 1899
Black type on off white background describing the murder of farmer Giles Scroggins and offering a cash reward. Printed by Taylor Bros, Printers, Broad Weir, Bristol.
Nero and Agrippina Programme, 1914
Golden type and illustration of a male and female portraits on profile on a purple background on the front cover, inside description of scenes and black and white photographs, 8p.p.
New Gallery Kinema Programme, 14 January 1914
Newspaper Cuttings and Scapbook, 1880 - 1901
Newspaper cuttings and scrapbook related to Poole's Myriorama collated by William Barnes
Old St. Paul's Programme, 1914
Black type and black and white photograph of a movie scene, showing The Earl of Rochester overcoming Amabel in a room on the front cover, inside description of scenes and black and white photographs, contains commercial advertisements, 8p.p.
Opera Comique Programme, May 1896
Strand. Black type on green background on front cover announcing Shamus O'Brien in three tableaux founded on the celebrated poem by Jos. Sheridan Le Fanu, inside commercial advertising and programme listing C. Villiers Standord's new romantic comic opera Shamus O'brien, also contains programme for Olympia listing Chevalier Blondin and Animated pictures by Mr Paul's Theatrograph, 2p.p.
Parody, c1870 - 1900
Poem entitled parody written on Poole's New Popular Trips Abroad letter headed paper with illustration of people from around the world behing two banners and the top of the globe behind them. Manuscript.
Pitt's Palace Pictures Poster, c1899
Caerphilly. Pitt's Eletric Pictures and Varieties, our star film The Border Ranger, Dogs not Admitted, Calino as a Postman, An Eventful Evening, Freddie and the Aliens, True to his Trust, An Evil Influence, The Tale of the Sea, Children Mustn't Smoke, The Statue Dog, A Glimpse of the Neapolitan Camorra, Attacked by Araphoes, Help Wanted, Nat Pinkerton in the Smugglers' Den. Blue type on off white background and blue border. Printed by Willson's Printers, Mount Street, Nottingham.
Filtered By
- Subject: Motion pictures X
Additional filters:
- Type
- Archival Object 176
- Collection 1
- Subject
- Acrobats 5
- Aerialists 5
- Anglo-Afghan Wars 7
- Anglo-Burmese War, 3rd, 1885 4
- Anglo-Egyptian War, 1882 27
- Animal trainers 2
- Animals 14
- Circus 7
- Clowning 4
- Comedians 25
- Contortionists 1
- Dance 3
- Dwarfs (Persons) 1
- Equestrians 2
- Exhibitions 3
- Fairs 3
- Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871 3
- Gymnasts 7
- Jugglers 7
- Magic 13
- Male impersonators 6
- Minstrel shows 11
- Music-halls 29
- Musical performances 61
- Musicians 1
- Optical illusions 78
- Pantomime 6
- Performers 96
- Pierrot 1
- Puppets 5
- Showman 74
- Showwoman 1
- Sideshows 3
- Singing 30
- South African War, 1899-1902 11
- Stunt performers 4
- Tableaux vivants 6
- Travel 51
- Variety 104
- Ventriloquists 19
- War 42
- World War, 1914-1918 5
- Zulu War, 1879 6 + ∧ less